Amnesiac
by Piano Black Ink
Summary: With no memories of beforehand, I've been kept in this cell for as long as I can remember. The only thing that can catch my interest are the screams of the demons from the underground cell. But, when a fire Malak opened the door, I took a chance. (-SLOW UPDATES- because I'm lazy. Reviews appreciated!)
1. Prologue - Noises

_**The cover image, none of the characters nor yourself belong to me. Berseria and the Tales of series belong to Bandai Namco.**_

There. There I was. Laying there, in the cold, damp, dark, _putrid_ cell.

 _..._

I should have gone insane by now.

It was always silent, so silent you could hear a pin drop. Until, suddenly, it would be broken by shouts or screams, begging, or sometimes mere footsteps. Sometimes I would get woken or simply startled by the banging on the cells when it was time to eat. Though, none of those compare to the racket made once every day. The worst sound is when they send a demon down into an underground cell I can see from my own when the torches are well lit. I cannot fathom as to why they would even want to have those _disgusting_ creatures within the walls of the prison, much less toss them into the cell of a prisoner. Whenever they drop one down, a series of sounds always follow. It always starts with a woman shouting, threatening the demon. It's the same female voice every time. This has led me to believe that that voice belongs to the prisoner held down there. The sounds that usually follow are usually the demon hollering back, but occasionally the demon would beg for its life. On those occasions, the woman would ask questions. I would get up from my "cot," and slowly make my way to the bars of my cell, listening intently to the demon's responses. This is a prime source of information on the outside world. I would continue listening, learning more about the world I've been sealed away from, until the wisdom would get cut off by another shout from the woman. The sound following, usually the final noise in the series, was a sickening one. After the demon seemed to be taken down, a terrible noise of...with no other title, _pulsating flesh_ would ensue. I could never identify what on earth that odd sound was, but I was sure I never wanted to know. At this point, I would have already backed away back to my cot. Afterward, the silence continued, and any interesting event to look forward to in the day (Or night, I'm not sure) came to an end.

Otherwise, I would be lying there, in the silent darkness, awaiting the next horrifying noise.

I've never known why. I have no way of knowing why. Because, I have amnesia. I never had to be told that fact, as I was able to figure it out on my own. I have no memories that differ from my daily routine here. I know that I haven't been here my entire life, I _couldn't_ have been here my entire life, as I've only grown three inches or so from my earliest memories...I think. It hasn't been longer than four years, from what I could tell from the few dates mentioned in the conversations between the unknown woman and multiple demons. I remember that my name is Aria, I figured out myself that I'm a wind malakhim. I've mastered the art of tossing the straw pillow on my cot from one end of the cot to the other, without laying a finger on it. I...also discovered that my sneezes are disastrous. I cannot control them because of my weak frame. Considering the food here has barely any nutrients and I can barely see so exercise tends to happen rarely, I believe that being so weak that sneezes are tricky to get ahold of is justified. I'm sure I'd be much better at it if a large gust of wind didn't escape my mouth every time I sneezed. Other than those facts, I don't know much about myself. I know I have brown hair and fair skin, but other than that I don't know what I look like. I've never looked into a mirror, from what I can remember, so I don't know what my face looks like.

Basically, I'm pretty clueless to a lot of important things.

That brings us to now.

Right now I'm lying in my cot, as per usual, awaiting the sounds of the next demon to be dropped into the woman's cell, or at least for some food to be tossed into the small opening in the bars. Neither sounds came. I had been waiting for a long while, thinking at least some sort of noise would come through, but none ever did. Until I closed my eyes. When I had closed my eyes in apathy of waiting, I heard footsteps. It was probably someone delivering food, so I continued to shut my eyes, intent on entering the world of dreams for a short while. My plans were cut short when I heard the sounds of… fire? Of course, someone may have been lighting the torches, meaning a demon was to be sent down to the unknown woman, but… I heard no sounds of a struggling demon. I opened my eyes, trailing my gaze over to the central area, where the door to the underground cell was kept.

There was something I had never expected to see. A woman, a fire malak to be precise, was using her fire artes to light the torches around her. I had _never_ seen another malakhim before, in the time I can remember. This malak woman was making the room so _bright_ and _warm._ It was a foreign feeling, one I loved. I stood immediately, making my way to the bars of my cell, gazing at the odd, beautiful site of this miraculous woman surrounded by the warmest, blazing torches I had ever lay my eyes upon. The woman's overall appearance easily reminded me of that of a butterfly's. She had pinkish red hair with white tips kept in a ponytail, her bangs falling over her face. A short, white dress covered her body, that had two trains on its sides, looking similar to butterfly wings. She had long black stockings and white heels, both with red accents. I couldn't see her eyes, as she has some sort of black glass mask covering her eyes and upper face, resembling, again, a butterfly. Or, perhaps, a bird. My fists were turning slightly white as I stared, clutching onto the bars. I leaned forward, trying to see as much as I could. The woman noticed me. My heart thumped rapidly as she turned her head towards me slightly, holding a finger to her lips. She wanted me to be quiet. I did as she asked, as my voice was caught in my throat, making me obey her whether I wanted to or not. She smiled at me slightly, before turning back to her destination. She made her way around the metal grate that led into the unknown woman's cell. She went to the back of the room, where she approached a lever. This lever, contrary to a separate one, didn't temporarily open the grate. It kept it open permanently. Along with, every other cell in the chamber. As the Malak reached out, my heart began to thump even harder than it had been mere moments earlier. Was this malak going to pull that lever? I knew that I am one of very few prisoners on this floor, as they don't tend to keep many near the woman they throw the demons to, so says one of said demons. If this malak were to pull that lever, she could very well put herself in great danger. But, she didn't hesitate in the slightest.

She reached forward, grasping her hands tightly onto the metal lever. She turned to me and smiled slightly, as she pulled down on the lever, a loud squeak following as she did so. My eyes trained on the lever as she slowly heaved it down, my eyes wide and my mouth parted slightly. This was it. After all this time, I could finally take a step outside. The squeaking continued as the lever neared the end of its journey. Only a few centimeters left. I leaned forward, clinging to the bars, nonblinking.

 _Click._


	2. Chapter 1 - Fleeing

_Click._

The malak released the lever.

At the moment the lever clicked into its place, a second series of clicks resounded throughout the district. The doors had been unlocked. I could step forward and open my door at any moment, yet my feet refused to move. Just the thought of taking a step outside seemed completely foreign now, even though I had dreamed about it for so long. My focus was so concentrated on the door and my thoughts, that I nearly missed the sound of the malak woman slowly lowering herself into the now open grate. So, she had come here for the woman held down there, yet, she decided to set the rest of the prisoners on this floor free. ...Come to think of it, I heard very few creaks of doors after the malak had pressed down the lever. Just how many prisoners were there down here? Clearly not much, considering no one had run past the bars of my cell.

I still stood still, contemplating whether or not I should take the chance. Judging by the conversations between the unknown woman and the demons, the outside world was very dangerous. With demons, thieves, pirates, and natural disasters. ...I couldn't let that stop me. I slowly reached out towards the door, trembling, wondering what the feeling of finally being able to push it open would be like. I placed my finger on it, moving my body closer to it. I nudged the door. It was heavy, but I managed to push it open without much difficulty. I stared at the sight of the open door. I shouldn't hold myself back any longer. Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward, pushing the door open further as I stepped into the hall. I gazed around, the thought of having so much more space to move was very appetizing.

With only a moment's hesitation, I began towards the nearby stairs. I did not know my way around here and I barely had any fighting ability, not to mention my very weak state. I most likely have a great lack of common knowledge, also, considering I had very little sources of information. The best one I have is probably not 100% reliable, as well. Needless to say, the chance of escape was slim. But, it was still a chance. I couldn't let this slip through my fingers. So, I ran up the nearby stairs, not knowing what else to do. I twisted and turned through hallways, huffing and puffing, sweating at the heat of the torches strewn across the walls. Adrenaline pumped through me. This was my chance, freedom has now been made a possibility. Despite how exhausted I was, I moved, and never stopped moving. That is, until, a thought crossed my mind. I know that getting caught is always a possibility. That's why I need to move quietly and look out for and avert from areas I notice exorcists in, like I have been doing. But what happens if I get caught? Fight or flight, that's what happens. The predicament I uncovered was the fact I had no weapons, nor much fighting experience.

Most likely, if I were to get caught, I would run away. Though that leaves the possibility that there may be nowhere to go or the very high chance of whoever caught me to alert the other exorcists. That's when I settled that I would need to hinder anyone who saw me. ...Somehow. My thoughts were cut short by a somewhat distant voice, shouting some words to quiet for me to make out. I stopped to listen. The voice sounded like the woman I had heard many times during my time of imprisonment. As a matter of fact, I was _certain_ it was that woman. Her voice was engraved into my mind. I couldn't be wrong. Suddenly, a loud chorus of shouts from the same floor as mine. They sounded close, but not in the same room as me, dissolving any panic I had about being caught. I picked up my feet again as I listened to the noise. It was a crowd of prisoners. I could tell by the number of voices and the phrases that were being hollered. This may be a good thing, as the prisoners could serve as a distraction. This may be a bad thing, as the exorcists are likely on high alert. I let out a puff of air as I ran, analyzing the situation with the little knowledge I possessed. The fire malak woman and the unknown woman from the underground cell most likely released the prisoners. I wonder why?

I ran for a few more minutes, glancing back and forth frantically. I had passed by many exorcists, either managing to sneak past them, or do a complete u-turn and leave. Needless to say, I nearly got spotted many times. Fortunately, the amount of prisoners moving around the prison kept the exorcists distracted, rushing through rooms to get to their newly assigned area. The rooms would be cleared out quickly because of this, but it also meant someone could run in at any given moment, so I couldn't be in a room for too long. My mind was racing: so much was happening! So much to keep track of! So much to think about! I haven't felt such stimulation in years! Though I barely knew anything about my world, or even common knowledge, I knew plenty about this prison and how it works. Possibly enough to get me out of here. A smile broke out on my face. This was going to happen. I won't let anyone lock me up again.

My legs were aching, but the adrenaline forced me to ignore it as I creaked open the door to a small storage room. I could find some sort of weapon in here, if not some sort of tool at least. I silently snuck over to a chest I could see, hoping it was unlocked. I grasped onto it, the cold metal a sensation I have felt many times before. Pushing up, the chest opened with ease, a light creak emanating from it as it did so. I peaked in, reaching down to dig through its contents. I pulled out a rope, it's rough texture scraping my skin slightly. This might help. I wrapped it over my shoulder before continuing to dig. I found some torn up clothes, that were in about the same condition as the dirty, slightly torn white top and shorts I was currently dressed in. I decided I didn't want nor have time to change and put them back. Pulling out the final item, it ended up being much longer than I expected. It was… wait, it was a sword. A long one. I'm pretty sure this type of sword has a name, but… I couldn't remember. The sheath it was in seemed familiar somehow… I couldn't quite place my finger on it. I decided to place it back. It may be a weapon, and a seemingly strong one, but I could barely pick it up for more than a minute, much less swing it. It wasn't too heavy, but the length would constantly throw me off balance. ...Ok, maybe it was a little heavy, too. I didn't get any weapons, but I got a rope, which will probably be helpful somewhere along the line. Satisfied, I closed the chest and got to my feet.

I had gotten up and away from the chest, slipping towards the door. Unexpectedly, the door opened before I could get close.

Before I had a chance to move, a blade was pointed between my eyes.

 _A/N: I knowwww, I know it's slow and boring. Don't worry, a Berseria character will be introduced in the next chapter. Can you guess who~?_

 _About Aria: I'm trying to not make her some sort of OP mary-sue character and have her liked by everyone, but I'm trying not to make her some sort of weak, helpless little girl. Her design isn't finalized yet, it may change. I'll try to update often, but neo promises. Reviews appreciated! I'd love to hear your opinion on the story thus far and constructive criticism is welcomed! Thanks!_


	3. Chapter 2 - The Swordsman

Before I had a chance to move, a blade was pointed between my eyes.

I stood stock-still, my breath stopping as I gazed at the blade. It glinted in the torchlight almost ominously, only enhancing the swirling feeling that had appeared in my stomach. My mouth had gone dry as my breath had gone from non-existent to rapid, sharp breaths. The blade in front of me was an exorcist's. I had been caught.

"You're a puny one, aren't you?"

The voice I heard didn't sound like it was behind a helmet. It was that of a man's, and had a sort of spunk about it, yet sounded very concentrated and serious. My eyes trailed up the dagger and to the hand that was holding it. It was covered by an indigo sleeve, his grip on the dagger a firm one, immediately annihilating any plans to separate him from it unarmed. There was a gold armor piece on his gloved hand, and a larger more protective armor piece attached to his shoulder made up of indigos, reds, and golds, shielding almost all of his right arm. My eyes trailed onto the rest of his body. His other hand, wielding a second dagger, was not covered, showing his tan skin. Looking downward, he appeared to be in a sort of hakama. It was white, with with an indigo sector just below an orange sunset like section with three bird silhouettes printed onto it. The rest of his outfit followed the color scheme, made up of indigos, reds, gold, whites. There were only a few armored areas on his body, while others followed the samurai format that seemed to bring it all together. It was very clear: the man before me was not an exorcist.

After those few slow moments of observing, I finally convened the courage to raise my gaze to his face. My wide eyes made contact with his sharp amber one, the other being covered by his messy black hair. The moment our eyes met, I felt a shiver. There was something horrifying about this man. The fact that I was currently in a position that allows him to kill me at any moment only added to the terrible feeling I felt from him. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at mine, making me swallow slightly. I managed to stutter out the words,

"P-please don't kill me."

"And why not?" He pushed the blade slight closer to the bridge of my nose.

I mentally face-palmed. Asking him not to kill me won't do any good. I could've provoked him for all I know, which seemed likely. I needed to think of a way to convince him not to push that dagger any further. I sifted through my knowledge and memories, trying to calculate some sort of compromise that I could offer to this man. A drop of sweat appeared on my brow as the samurai seemed to be growing impatient. Think, think, think... What can I do…?

...Wait, the sword.

The sword that I had found in the chest seemed to be one of a samurai's. It had an indigo sheath, the same shade as the indigo this man had on his outfit. Looking closer, he had a few places on the back of his outfit that could easily hold a sword, a sword of the exact length of the one I had seen. That long sword might be his.

Offering him a greater weapon than the ones he already wielded might be a risk. It just gives him a better weapon to kill me with. Also, the only hints I have that the sword might be his is the fact that they have the same color scheme and he seems like he could wield it with efficiency. Though, what other choice do I have? It's either that or get killed where I stand. I'll take the former, thank you. I opened my mouth to propose the exchange.

"Uh, d-do you happen to be looking for a long sword?" I kept my voice confident. The moment he registered what I had asked, all seriousness in his eyes vanished. He lowered the blade a bit, his eyes widening, looking somewhat like a pleading puppy dog. _Bingo._

"Have you seen one?" He asked, his pitch raising slightly, sounding frantic. I nodded at his question. When I did, he dropped his blades and a look of relief flooded over his eyes. He seemed a bit excited, though the frantic movements he made never faded.

"Where is it? What did it look like?" He continued to question. I was taken aback by his sudden change of attitude the moment I mentioned the sword.

"Yes...It had an indigo sheath with a red ribbon tied tightly around the top." With each word I spoke, the samurai seemed to get more and more eager, shifting on his feet. His eyes darted around the room as if searching for something before they ultimately came back to mine. I slowly took a few steps toward the chest, the man close behind me, clearly on guard but curious as to what I was doing. I leaned down towards it, opening it, feeling around the clothing to get to the sword. When I felt its hilt in my hands, I stopped for a moment, considering using it as a weapon against the man. When I pulled on it a bit, I remembered how I could barely lift it and the previous thought went down the drain. I placed both my hands on it and heaved it out, making a small grunt.

Suddenly, it was yanked from my hands, startling me as I let out a yelp.

"I'm in your debt," the swordsman stated as I turned around. He was holding the sword gently, pulling it in and out of the sheath a few times before placing it on his back. Folding his arms, he looked at me out of the corner of his eye.

"That's two people who helped me find Stormhowl. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me…" He mumbled to himself. The relief and gratefulness that shown in his eyes were great.

"Two people? ...Stormhowl?" I questioned. Though I should be getting out of here, I couldn't help but be curious about this swordsman. He seemed to have a very odd personality.

"...Stormhowl is the name of this sword. Some black haired woman told me it was in a storage room on this floor, though I didn't know which one. You helped me find it here." He answered. Turning to face me, he looked me in the eye as he held a hand to his chest.

"This blade is my life. I can't thank you enough for returning it to me." Says the man who was pointing a blade at my face mere minutes ago. I looked up to reply when I noticed a black… scar on his neck, seemingly coming out from his eye, the one hidden under his black mass of low-ponytailed hair. I went silent for a moment, wondering what sort of experience would cause something that looked like that. Maybe it was a painted marking of some sort?

"Oh, uh, I'm a demon in case that's what you're wondering," he clarified, catching where my eyes were lingering.

"..."

He's a demon? The ravenous monstrosities that don't hesitate to rip people to shreds? That can't be right. I suppose that they do have some sort of consciousness, judging by the conversations I've been overhearing for as long as I remember. I thought that was just them pleading for their lives, considering they would only start talking when the woman had beaten them senseless (how, I'm still trying to figure out myself). This man not only took a while to actually attack me, someone who was unarmed and cornered, but also is currently cheerfully thanking me for finding a weapon of which he could've easily found himself without me.

I was cut off from analyzing his statement by a gloved hand pushed in front of me.

"My name is Rokurou Rangetsu. Let's get the hell outta here," he said, showing his teeth as he grinned.

"...We're accompanying each other?" I questioned, ignoring this hand.

"As I said, I'm in your debt. I have to repay it," he stated, "You're not on the side of the exorcists, are ya?" I hesitantly shook my head at his query.

"I didn't think so. I don't have any ill-intent with this statement, but I doubt you'll be able to escape the island in the state you're in." He offered me his hand again. "So, let's get moving little missy." I took a glance down at my thin body, figuring he had a point. I slowly reached up and grasped it, hoping I was making the correct decision. The man, who I now knew as Rokurou, clasped his hand upon mine and shook it.

"Aria," I muttered slightly.

"Aria, huh? Not the most common name." He let go of my hand, turning around and making his way towards the door.

"Anyhow, we don't have all day," he reminded me. I trailed along behind him, as he turned back forward. With that, he opened the door, and we began our ascent to- where we hoped- was the exit.

A/N: I'm so sorry I took so long to introduce Rokurou. The entire chapter, I know... It's just, I love the Rangetsu family. Can you tell? I'm sure you'll be able to ;). I'll try to give everyone else the attention they deserve, don't worry! If you guys could leave a review letting me know who your favorite character is, please do. It would help me to learn what you guys like! I'll be n my moderating page often, so guest reviews won't be overlooked. Again, constructive criticism appreciated, and thanks for reading tonight's chapter!


	4. Chapter 3 - Departure

"There should be a tower with a path over this way. We can make it to the docks from there," Rokurou informed, moving at a brisk but stealthy pace.

Rokurou wasn't near as careful as I was when it came to slipping past exorcists, so we got caught much more often than before. It was probably because he stood a much better chance against them than I did. When we encountered them for the first time though, Rokurou seemed slightly troubled. Against what I thought he'd do, he didn't take out the sword, Stormhowl, immediately after the exorcists had spotted us. Actually, he had never taken it out at all. He'd just stood his ground as the exorcists charged forward, while I stepped back and attempted to conjure a wind arte. When one of the exorcists had gotten close to him, he had countered the exorcist's attack with his bare hands, grasping onto their arms at the last second and yanking their daggers away from them. Now that he had the daggers in his possession, he was taking down exorcists left and right, with me disorienting them a bit using wind artes. Needless to say, the battle was over quickly.

This was the system Rokurou and I stuck with. Rokurou up front, while I stayed back on support. Because of it, we moved through the prison at a steady pace. Whenever I had asked him why he never used Stormhowl, he always answered something along the lines of:

"Aah, nah, I just can't. It's a long story." His reply only reinforced my opinion of him. What an odd demon swordsman.

I also ended up questioning him about the fact that he was very relentless against the exorcists but hesitated a few minutes when he had encountered me. He explained he would question anyone who didn't seem like a potential threat, seeing if they could offer him any benefits.

"And you do that by making them beg for their lives…?"

"Yep," he replied, popping the p slightly.

He was clearly getting exhausted by my constant nagging, but he didn't comment on it.

At this point, we had made it to the interior of the tower, climbing the ladder at a quick pace.

"There's a path leading to the docs from here, you mentioned?" I inquired.

"Yes. It should-" Rokurou was suddenly cut off by a loud bang, followed by a short series of thumps, the tower shaking heavily as I struggled to grasp on to the ladder. The shaking lasted much longer than I had hoped. My hands were becoming clammy, my grip was slowly slipping from the cold metal of the ladder. Even though whatever was causing the commotion didn't seem too close, it was certainly destructive. I wrapped my arms around the ladder to keep me from slipping, as the conundrum finally ceased.

"What the hell was that…?" Rokurou mumbled, mostly to himself. He then kept climbing, as I continued up after him.

"Is the prison under attack?" I asked. "Or maybe that was the prisoners?"

"Don't ask me." He shrugged. I couldn't figure out who would attack the prison, so I betted on the prisoners. Not that it mattered.

As we emerged, I closed my eyes suddenly as water hit my face. It was raining. I scrambled up out of the trapdoor, looking out into the ocean that I never thought I'd see. The feeling of the water whipping past me like a sheet of steel, as thunder rumbled in the distance, made me smile. It was an intense, hot emotion of joy and nostalgia and...longing, all swirling together fiercely. I was outside. Finally, I was here, I could see the world. I spotted the sun trying to peek through the clouds, streaks of it shining through every so often. I rushed to the edge of the tower, trying to get a better look. I hadn't seen the sun in so long. My eyes scanned the ships that were sailing towards the prison, staying afloat miraculously in the thrashing, merciless sea. I took a breath, blinking to keep rainwater from entering my eyes, but it was futile, as my eyes were cloudy anyway. This was the world I have been missing.

"Hey. Are you listening?"

I took one last glance at the sky, before turning back to Rokurou.

"Sorry. I just…"

"I haven't seen it in a while either, but we won't be seeing it for another long while if we don't figure out how to get to the docks." He seemed annoyed.

"But didn't you say there was a…?" I glanced over, only to find that there was no path. Walking over I looked down, seeing the ground much further down than I'd imagined.

"...Oh."

"The path collapsed. Too far down to jump," he sighed, scratching his head.

I glared at the ground. We were so close, this setback was troubling. Leaning against the railing, I thought for a moment.

The rope I had wasn't near long enough to help here, actually, it would probably only get us about one foot down. I considered using wind artes to help get us down. While I wasn't strong enough to get us down smoothly, I could probably break our fall a great deal, with much less injury. I was somewhat exhausted so it may not be as effective as it could be, but it was an idea. I could hear Rokurou approaching me from behind, so I turned around to suggest my thought.

Turns out he wasn't approaching me by his own will.

"G-gah! What the hell?!" He shouted, tumbling forward, without giving me a chance to react. I could see two arms wrapped around his shoulders, making it clear why he was stumbling. Someone had jumped on his back, making him lose his balance and tumble forward. Causing him to crash into me. Which sent us both flying over the railing, along with whoever had caused this situation.

Suddenly we were falling, _fast._ As I screamed into poor Rokurou's ear, I decided it was time to go ahead and use my artes, whether my aching body liked it or not. We've made it this far. I'm not going to let us die halfway through our escape. As rainwater assailed my form, I shoved my fist towards the ground, letting out a shout as I mustered up power.

"Graaah!" I opened my fist, letting the wind lose. A sudden gust of air burst from my palm, hitting the ground with intense force. I let out another grunt, my sweat becoming mixed with the rainwater on my face. I struggled to create a strong enough gust to support the three bodies I was clinging onto, resisting the urge to break my concentration by looking at the unidentified attacker.

I stopped my shouting (Thankfully for Rokurou), focusing purely on slowing our fall. Unfortunately, we were falling pretty fast, but I was making some sort of effect. We were nearing the ground and I began to panic, emitting scared noises again as I attempted to slow us down more. This seemed to alert Rokurou and he removed my hand from his clothing and hastily nudged it down next to the hand that was producing the wind. Thankful for his quick thinking, I used my second hand to add to the air that was quickly becoming our last string of hope. With one last final heave, I let out a strained shout as the last of my arte emitted from my hands in a with a heavy blow. The wind slowed us down greatly at the last moment before I became too exhausted to continue.

When I took my hands back, we were already just above the ground, which was enough for us to land on our feet.

"Now I'm definitely in your debt…" I heard Rokurou mumble from next to me before he quickly shoved his attacker off his back. I collapsed to the ground, fatigue taking over my senses. I was gasping, panting so hard that the world around me seemed to double slightly. I had never used an arte like that before. Struggling to catch my breath, I didn't care about the sharp rocks that were stinging my knees. I thought about everything that had just unfolded, realizing my power. If I use this well, it could definitely be beneficial. I picked up my hands and gazed at them, wondering how they had pushed out all that wind.

"Ow! Ow ow ow ow oww! That hurt!" I heard from behind me. It was an unfamiliar voice that was definitely not Rokurou.

"Who're you? And explain why you attacked me." Rokurou sounded irked but seemed to lack the energy and will to shout. It was clear that he was still a little shaken from the event this stranger had caused. At this point, I had gathered enough energy to sit properly and turn to view the exchange.

"Heyyy! I wasn't attacking you! I just wanted to get down the easy way!" The attacker whined. As my eyes trailed over to her, I froze. The woman in question was a blonde, green-eyed girl, but that wasn't why I froze.

She looked very young, though not a child. Maybe in her early- very early- twenties. Possible even younger. Her voice was slightly higher than average, but these facts weren't what threw me off, either. It was her outfit. Especially that book skirt.

The woman who jumped on Rokurou was wearing some sort of book-skirt, as in she had a total of six identical brown books hanging freely around her hips. She also had a very large hat, one that looked like a mix between a witch's and a jester's. It had two points on top, one sticking up straight, while the other longer one was being weighed down by a small gold charm on the end. Her entire ensemble was out of order, the main color scheme being pinks, blacks, and light purples. She had a brown feather collar that seemed to serve no purpose other than decoration. Her sleeveless top was half pink half black, with light purple and pink diamonds over it. She had long miss- matched leggings with miss-matched shoes to match. Her loose sleeves weren't attached to the rest of her outfit and covered most of her forearm. She was certainly a sight to behold. Especially that book skirt.

"Your version of the easy way could've led to death." Rokurou glared at the woman, who was getting herself up off the ground.

"Well we're alive aren't we?" She smiled. Both of them took a glance at me after that statement. My lips twitched upwards slightly. I stood up, wavering slightly, before managing to sluggishly make my way over to the duo.

"You never answered his first question." I reminded her. I was curious to know who this odd lady was.

"Oh! Right!" The lady exclaimed, taking a few giddy steps away from us.

"Thank you for asking! Not that I'm grateful~" She started. I squinted at her, questioning why she thanked us in the first place if she wasn't grateful.

"I'm thrilled to introduce to you the wise sorceress who travels the eleven seas, who scoffs at the might of dragons…" The woman spoke with a grand voice, standing tall with her arms following her words with stately gestures. Rokurou and I exchanged glances.

"None other than the acclaimed, the illustrious," she took another breath as if getting ready for a grand reveal, "Mazhigigika Miludin do Din Nolurun Dou! Magilou for short." She put her hands up in the air as she finished, smiling haughtily.

My mouth was open slightly. I had already met Rokurou, who was weird enough. But this lady brought it to a whole other level.

"That's… your name?" Rokurou questioned with a doubtful tone. We didn't have to tell each other, we knew we shared the same thoughts on this, "sorceress." Also, it was obvious that the speech she had just given us was rehearsed.

"Of course, weren't you listening?" She cocked her head.

"And...you're a sorceress?" I followed up.

"A witch, to be more precise," Magilou replied, waving her hand as if shrugging the question off. I figured she was a witch, or at least not a normal person. Anyone could figure that out, honestly.

"Well~ There's only one way to go from here, right?" She says, "So, hurry up and introduce yourselves and let's get a move on!" Magilou finishes, scrunching her eyebrows together as if we've done something wrong.

"Rokurou Rangetsu." Rokurou states. It was apparent he just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible and not deal with Magilou's odd antics.

"Aria." I follow. Magilou nods a bit before turning around. She walked with a fast pace towards the one way forward.

"I wanna leave this dirty, horrible place as soon as possible!"

After we had made our way inside and out of the rain, Rokurou and I had gone back to our usual routine of steadily making our way through the prison. This time, though, we were going much faster as Magilou had joined in on the battling. Surprisingly, she was a very skilled fighter. She seemed to use magic artes often, which caused me to wonder what she was. She states she's a witch, but I'm having trouble believing that.

Maybe she's an exorcist? Though that option seemed unlikely as well. For the time being, I decided to put the question aside and place escaping as my top priority.

Finally, after a few more battles, we had made our way through the majority of the prison.

"Through this door should be the last room," Magilou informed us. When I had registered the information, I stumbled a bit in surprise. This was it! We're almost out! The room ahead was going to be the last I see in this place. The sheer thought of going out there - and staying out there - excited me immensely. I fell onto my knees when I had stumbled, but the slight burning feeling that I felt was nothing compared to the blazing heat I felt inside. I was ready.

"Oh! Are you that nervous~?"

"Hey, now's not the time for slipping up."

Both of my companions made their comments as I got up, dusting off the marks on my knees left by the rough floor.

"Let's go," I said, not bothering to acknowledge the remarks. Magilou was the first to turn her head away from me when I made my way to stand next to the pair, as she reached forward and opened the door. I clenched my fists, preparing myself for whatever final battle was to come.

Fortunately for us, there was no battle to be fought.

"Oho! Finally someplace that might not be a death-trap!" Magilou exclaimed as she wandered in. "When we tumbled from the tower, I thought, this is it, Magilou, this is the end!"

"It would've been less risky if you hadn't suddenly appeared and jumped on my back." Rokurou talked as if he were explaining to, or scolding a young child. Magilou averted her eyes from his as he spoke. I was focused on scanning the room, taking careful steps. I wasn't going to let my efforts to get to this point go to waste. The first thing I noticed was a woman, standing in the middle of the room.

She had long, black hair with striking bright yellow eyes. She had a solemn expression, looking down at the ground with her eyebrows knotted slightly. Her clothes were very, very ragged and torn, but seemed to fit her nicely. She had a burgundy top, that was torn down the middle but held in place by laces that kept it from falling off her completely, as well as a jewelled pin at the top which connected the two sides. It made me wonder whether or not the design was intentional. She had torn black shorts and… stockings, that were so torn that they were basically thick strings around her thighs and upper shins, leading down into her complicated metal boots. She had a black, ragged coat over her shoulders and a white bandage completely covering her left hand and arm. She also had belts in different places, like three around her right leg, two on her hips, and one just below her collarbone, all helping to hold the getup together. Her black hair was also tied by a bandage at the bottom, as it went almost down to her feet.

Another odd getup. It seemed Magilou had competition. Actually, no, no outfit can be weirder than Magilou's.

"Oh hey, it's you!" I heard next to me. Rokurou began to make his way towards the woman. Magilou and I followed up after him, as I tilted my head slightly, wondering how Rokurou knew this woman.

"It's thanks to you that Stormhowl is back in my care." He reached up and pulled on the blade for a moment as if showing it off. After, he brought his hand down and placed it in a fist, lowering his head swiftly. He was bowing. Rokurou respected this lady greatly. From what I just heard, this woman is the person Rokurou mentioned had pointed the way to the storage room we found Stormhowl in.

"Rokurou Rangetsu, at your service." He raised his head.

"I owe you a great debt, one I vow to repay." He held a fist to his chest as he spoke, speaking similar words to the ones he spoke to me. The woman didn't reply, possibly because she didn't have much of a chance to before Magilou jumped in.

"Yes, yes, she's a peach and a model citizen. Can we get our move on? I think they're just about done massacring the rioters!"

The brunette woman placed a hand on her hip as she stared the two down for a moment before she turned her eyes to me. We stared at each other shortly, wondering who the other was. She closed her eyes before turning back to face all three of us.

"The docks are just ahead. Give me a hand." She spoke.

I knew that voice. I could recognize that voice anywhere.

"You-you're- you're that woman from the bottom of the cell!" I suddenly stuttered.

"...And?" She questioned, tossing me a threatening glare. Magilou and Rokurou looked at me, curious as to why I was pointing that out.

"I...I've been hearing your voice for as long as I can remember!" The woman in front of me was literally the only person I had ever known outside of those exorcists before the fire malak appeared. The woman adjusted her head as if she was getting tired of standing still, before she looked me in the eye.

"You're the malak who kept throwing things, aren't you?" She sounded irked, but a little bit of humour lingered in her gaze. Apparently, she had heard me practicing my wind artes on the little things I could find in the cell. As well as me muttering to myself when I would accidentally hurt myself. I tilted my head downwards, before returning to eye contact.

"...I was practicing. So were you," I stated, referring to the tons of demons I've heard her kill. She raised an eyebrow.

"That, I was." With that, she gestured towards the door with her head, before turning and walking towards it. I stared at her back briefly, then started to follow, Magilou and Rokurou behind me.

We exited, getting hit with rainwater once again. I took a breath to calm myself, before gazing at the large, vacant exorcist ship awaiting us at the dock. This was our only ticket out, but the storm was violent. Unfortunately, it was too late for second thoughts. I made my way to the ship, trying to figure out from the docks how we get this thing to sail through the storm. Glancing out at the storm, I squinted through the rain. My wind artes probably won't do much help other than pushing the sails and I was already tired enough. I had never sailed before, though, so my ideas probably won't be all that valid. Turning back, I saw Rokurou and the black-haired woman (Whom I should probably ask for her name) finish a conversation. The woman walked towards the ship, muttering something to herself. I heard something along the lines of, 'I'm coming for you,' but I couldn't pick up on anything else. She entered the ship, Magilou following behind her, as I approached Rokurou.

"What's the plan?" I asked, walking up onto the ship.

"I'm going to try to get us through the storm," He replied, swiftly making his way to the sails.

"You might be able to help me."

"Are you a sailor?" I continued.

"No, but I know a thing or two," he motioned towards the black haired woman, signalling her to raise the sails. He pulled on his end and the sails rose up to meet the sky.

"Go raise the anchor then give us a light gust of wind to get us away from the dock," Rokurou instructed me. "Oh, but not too strong. Don't want to cause any damage." He quickly made his way to the wheel, the black haired woman handing him the compass.

Rushing my way to the anchor, I heaved. Grunting, I cranked the wheel, trying to raise the heavy piece of metal from the water.

"Hnn…" With one more huff, the anchor rose from the depths and I managed to lock it in position. Turning and ascending the stairs, I stood next to Rokurou and the black-haired woman to get a good angle on the sails. I placed my hands in front of me in preparation.

"Are we all ready?" I asked everyone. They nodded and gave me an "Mm-hm" in response, save for Magilou who hollered, "Aye-aye!" Taking that as a signal, I cast my arte, pushing the ship forward just as the exorcists emerged from the prison.

 _A/N:_

 _They're out! Finally, haha. I decided to make this one a bit (...maybe a little more than a bit) longer than usual so I could move the story along. I have plans for this one, the thing is I'm trying to figure out which ones to use and how I can try to diverge from the original plot of Berseria a bit. I'm going to try to make sure that it's not just Berseria but with an extra character, but I'm not sure how successful that's going to be ^^;. Thank you for waiting, and thank you for reading!_


	5. Chapter 4 - Hellawes

The swaying of the ship along with the feeling of the wind and water hitting my face gave me a rush. It was close, but I'm here. I'm out. On top of that, I have a small party of companions (Even though I should probably ask what they were doing in prison in the first place). Sighing, I briefly took a glance back at the fading prison island, hoping it would be the last I see of it.

"I'm going downstairs to look for supplies," I spoke while walking towards the door.

"Ok. Just be back soon, I might need more hands." Rokurou replied.

"Aye-aye, Captain Rokurou."

"Wait." I was stopped by a hand on my shoulder. I turned and made eye contact with the yellow orbs of the black haired woman.

"My name is Velvet," she stated, "What can I call you?"

"Aria," I answered. Velvet nodded at my reply, turning back around to go check our heading.

Hmm, Velvet. What a pretty name.

Entering the lower deck, I was greeted with empty weapon racks, armor, and a small chest. Opening the chest I found piles of clothes and a small dagger off to the side. Taking out the dagger, I examined it. It was in poor condition, but it was better than nothing, so I took it with me. Next, I pulled out a bundle of clothing and placed it on the floor.

"Oooh."

They were a big improvement compared to what I had on.

I wonder if they fit me?

I was looking at a flowy, thigh length long sleeved white coat with red accents on the hem and sleeves. It wasn't too fancy and It seemed definitely maneuverable. There was also a pair of plain white stockings and a black belt. These will be much warmer than just my shorts and shirt. I had an idea.

The armor in the room was not exorcist armor, but some sort of unengraved spare. I took the boots and forearm pieces off, before placing the coat on over my shirt and putting the stockings on. I grabbed the belt and wrapped it around my waist, before sliding the armor pieces on after.

"I wish I had a mirror."

The outfit wasn't the best, but it worked, plus it was nice and light to help with my artes. Satisfied with my discovery, I went back up.

"Did you find anything?"

Magilou shouted from the other side of the ship.

"Yes, I-"

"Ooooh NO!" Rokurou was shouting, spouting curses. I panicked. I didn't have much time to do so, because the vessel abruptly tilted, promptly sending me down to the railing and over the side.

We crashed. I felt my form harshly collide with an icy ground, pain shooting through me. I could barely let out any noise. Struggling to keep my eyes open, I heard three thumps next to me until I finally gave into the darkness.

"...Nn…"

When I regained consciousness, the first thing I noticed was how cold it was. The ground against my cheek had made my skin go numb, a burning sensation flowing down to my fingers. Opening my eyes, I saw the ship, smashed up against the ice I was laying on. Grunting, I looked to my sides, noticing Rokurou, Magilou, and Velvet laying down on the ice, eyes closed. Though… there seemed to be something standing near Velvet. Or, well, someone. I grunted, sitting up, rubbing my eyes to get a better image of the unknown figure. I saw the silhouette snap its head in my direction at my movement. Finally seeing clearly, I gazed at the being. It was a young boy, wearing a white robe with a blue sailor style collar, with his hands hovering over Velvet. He looked startled, staring at me with wide yet blank eyes as I stared back. This little boy was a malak. I sat up, not breaking eye-contact with him. This was a very unexpected encounter, it clearly took him aback as much as it surprised me. Why was a malak here? What is he doing with Velvet? I took a breath, about to ask him why he was here and who he was.

"Laphi...cet…?" Velvet stirred from the ground, opening her eyes. Laphicet?

"Ah!" The boy gasped in surprise at Velvet's sudden awakening.

"A malak?!" Velvet gasped. her awareness quickly flooding back, my own crashing in with it. I quickly got up, trying to ignore the throbbing bruise on my shoulder blade. The little malak stepped away from Velvet, hurriedly grabbing our compass from next to his feet. Once the compass was in hand, he turned and ran.

I stepped, prepared to run after him as well as our compass when Velvet cut in front of me and caught up to the malak.

"Guh!" The malak shouted in surprise, as he was greeted by a wolf demon who growled in front of him.

This was the first time I had ever seen a demon outside of chains. ...Aside from Rokurou.

"Get back!" Velvet quickly darted in front of the malak, unsheathing a hidden blade from her forearm. She had dealt with demons, many times. I took a breath. Finally, I was going to witness one of the battles that I had merely listened to all these years.

"Hyaah!" Velvet, wasting no time, took the first swing. The malak boy stumbled back. I quickly stood in front of him, shielding him from the fight that was unfolding. Velvet expertly wielded her weapon, making precise and sharp movements, every attack aimed to kill. The demon struggled against her, barely able to claw at her. Abruptly, a bird demon swooped down from the skies, joining the conflict. Velvet noticed it last-second, quickly turning to parry its attack, but had to remove herself from the action to dodge a swing from the wolf demon.

Maybe...possibly...I could help? The bird demon relies a lot on the wind to stay in the air. Yes. I'm going to fight, alongside the woman who I've listened to for so long.

"I'll take the bird!" I shouted before I could take back my decision. Circling the outside of the battle, I prepared an arte to bring the bird to the ground. I aimed at the bird, careful not to hit Velvet. It was very effective, forcing the bird down, wounding it in the process. Taking a moment to register the result of my arte, my lip twitched upwards. I quickly maneuvered around the wolf demon, pulling out the dagger I had found and slashing the bird down the center. It shrieked, falling motionless as any signs of life faded away. As I watched the bird's life leave its body, the dagger's blade tumbled from the hilt and hit the ground with a clang, rendering it useless. Luckily, the final wail of the wolf demon sounded from behind me.

That certainly felt much different from only supporting up-front fighters.

Letting out a shaky breath, I let go of the broken handle and let it fall next to the blade. I smiled. I had slain a demon.

As I looked back towards the boy, I realized he was gone. The little malak was nowhere to be found.

Turning back to back to Velvet, I intended on informing her about the malak's disappearance.

I was greeted by a sight that I definitely hadn't expected. Velvet's left arm had turned from her normal, bandaged limb to a large, red, pulsating demon claw, which she was using to… absorb the corpse of the demon in front of her.

This explains the "pulsating flesh" noise I had heard after every battle she fought. But it raised many more questions.

"Vel...vet?" Is she a demon? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. This explains how she managed to defeat the demons in her cell, as well as why no exorcists ever came back to collect any demon bodies. Rokurou had shown that demons could have rational, human side as well. I should have seen this coming. But, I didn't.

"My word, a demon muncher! You really are a box of horrors, aren't ya?" Magilou's voice suddenly rang in my ears, as she commented on Velvet's demon arm. The demon Velvet was grasping onto disappeared with a puff of black smoke, replaced with the corpse of a normal human. Velvet stood up, her demon claw returning to her normal arm. Rokurou had walked up to join us, gazing down at Velvet as she turned to him.

"If I had a weapon, I would've helped you two. Sorry." Rokurou apologized.

"You're wearing one," Velvet commented, placing a hand on her hips.

"I can't use Stormhowl. Long story," Rokurou was repeating the same things he spoke to me again.

"Didn't you have daggers earlier?" I asked.

"They were gone when I woke up. Something must've happened when we fell," He turned to me.

"Also, you got up front there. Unexpected," He remarked. "Though you held your dagger wrong."

"It worked, so I'm proud. Don't ruin it," I said, smiling.

"Yes yes, she can fight. But it seems we have a separate problem," Magilou spoke. "That little malak boy has scampered with our compass!"

"But, he left something in return." Rokurou held up a map.

"The child left that?" Velvet questioned, taking the map and scanning it. I observed over her shoulder.

"From the looks of it, we're in Northgand," Rokurou stated.

"So, we're stranded shipwreck survivors! Whatever shall we do?" Magilou whined, her wild hand gestures returning.

"There's a town called Hellawes nearby. We can get supplies and a shipwright there." Rokurou replied.

"Ok. Let's not waste time." Velvet turned away from us and started walking.

As we followed, I took the time to observe our new surroundings. It was snowing, white fluffy snow piling up in certain areas. Crystalline white snowflakes grazed my cheeks, leaving a cold sensation before they melted from my body heat. There were multiple pine trees scattered around the area, all with a light dusting of snow, swaying in the wind. The sunlight attempted to peak through the dense clouds, each escaping ray kissing the snow, causing an array of sparkles to shimmer on the surface. It was a beautiful sight. The feeling of being outside, walking around, with fresh air surrounding me was elating. I could barely keep myself from running off to look around, but I managed to reason myself into staying.

The cold wind and snow, combined with the ground of ice and icy cliffs, meant the temperature was extremely cold. As a malak, I wasn't too affected, but that didn't mean I wasn't bothered. My breath was very visible, the sea right next to us wasn't helping the cold. Magilou sniffed, before letting out a sneeze.

"Iz cold!" She exclaimed, sniffing in between words.

"Bless you," I reply. Magilou just sniffed in response.

Surprisingly, Magilou was the only one who was acting cold. Velvet and Rokurou continued strolling as if they felt nothing.

Maybe demons don't feel temperatures easily, like malakhim? I should ask about that later.

I began to think about the small malak boy that ran away with our compass. I wish I could have seen him a little longer, considering he's a malak. Thinking about it, his eyes were blank. Even when he was attacked by that demon, his eyes widened a bit, but no fear shown in his eyes. No confidence. No emotion at all. Why were they like that? How were they like that? I couldn't tell. That wasn't the last time I was going to see that boy. Maybe we will be able to shed some light on why he was here in the first place.

There were plenty of demons roaming the frozen terrain, though we decided it would be best not to get into a fight without proper weapons. We stayed off to the side, avoiding the demons until we saw a ravine in between two glaciers.

"Over here," Velvet informs, turning into the ravine. We followed, the wind funneling through the tunnel with a howling noise. As we entered, something caught my eyes.

There were a series of pink chests lined up against the frigid walls. They all appeared to have to have cat designs on the lids, as well as cat ears perking up to accompany those designs.

"Cat chests?" I thought out loud.

"Katz chests!" Magilou followed.

"Katz chests?" I questioned. I looked towards the chests and notices a small creature standing in front of them, it's back facing us. It was a short, pink cat-like being, standing on two legs. It seemed to be talking to itself.

"Whatever shall I do, meow?" It spoke, waving its paws, the little bell around its neck jingling.

"That thing talks?! What if it's a cat demon?" Rokurou stepped back, scrunching his eyebrows at the feline creature.

"Woah...What is it? Is it a Malak?" I questioned. This cat creature was an oddity indeed.

"I just said, it's a Katz!" Magilou exclaimed.

"...You said the chests were-"

"Hush, hush. I know what I said," She said, tilting her head.

"A...Katz?" Velvet inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"It's...Well, just think of it as a special kind of malak. Sort of."

"Works for me. I understand that they're hard to understand, at least." Rokurou replied.

I occupied myself during the conversation by staring at the "Katz." I had taken a few steps forward, examining the Katz more. She turned around, making eye contact with me with her small eyes. She really did look like a cat.

"Hello! I don't suppose you happen to be carrying any Katz spirits on you?" She asked, swaying her body back and forth as she spoke.

"Some what?" I asked. Katz spirits? We just got onto land and I'm already confused. I have a long way to go.

"Katz spirits! They look like this." The Katz held out a paw and three ethereal floating orbs appeared, emitting a light glow. I had never seen anything like them.

"Those are what I found in the prison…" Velvet spoke from behind me. The Katz and I looked at her and she pulled out an orb that was the same as the ones as the Katz had. I had never seen any of those in the prison. I wonder where she found them?

"Oh, purr-fect! See, my friends and I were all having a wonderful banquet, meow! It was meow-velous that our souls flew right out of our bodies!"

"Katz spirits, huh?" Velvet put the spirit away.

"Sometimes we call them kitten caboodles!"

"That's foolish."

"Oh? How about kitty clumps?" The Katz smiled at Velvet as she scoffed. I decided I would stop the conflict.

"So...What do these Katz spirits do?" I asked.

"Thank you for asking! I need you to help me find more Katz spirits and use them to emeowcipate my friends!"

"...Emeowcipate? Really?" Rokurou sounded like he just wanted to exit the situation.

"Yes! It means to use the Katz spirits to free my friends from these Katz boxes here!"

"There are a lot of spirits scattered around…" Velvet mumbled, scanning the terrain. I didn't see any.

"Can we help them on the side?" I asked her.

"We might even give you some rewards!" The Katz chirped.

"...Fine. As long as it's only on the side. We have more important things to do," Velvet closed her eyes in annoyance.

I suppose we're all traveling together now, at least for a short while. Though considering we're all prison escapees, we might not have much of a choice. ...Actually, is it safe for me to be travelling with these people? Probably not. So many things I still need to ask them.

"Let's go." Velvet walked past us.

"Thank you!" The Katz mewled.

We all passed by her as she turned around to use her Katz spirits to open the boxes.

"That was cute," I commented, glancing back at the Katz.

"That was weird." Velvet said as if correcting me.

I turned my head and looked forward, faced with another icy terrain, similar to the ship's crash site. The thing that was different was the large wall a few meters away, a tall door accompanying it.

"Is that Hellawes?" I asked, taking a few steps closer. I yearned to go inside, to see all the people, to hear the noise, to taste the food. Unfortunately, I hindered myself by the sight of two exorcists guarding the entrance.

"There's got to be another way in," I mumbled, glancing around.

"There. Looks like the little brat scampered off that way." Magilou said, pointing at a set of small footprints that had gone unnoticed until now. I hurriedly followed after them.

"Let's see..." I was getting excited. Just getting out of the prison was exciting, but finally seeing civilization again was just as invigorating.

Wait. Again?

I had no recollection of ever being in any sort of place outside of the prison. Though, I know I couldn't have been in there my whole life. Otherwise, I may not even know what snow looks like. Maybe, just being out here, I was already getting echoes of my past? I hope so.

Yes, I couldn't get too distracted. My goal was to remember. I wouldn't stray from that.

I realized I had stopped moving and continued to pick up my feet. The others were behind me, as I had walked ahead of them already. We had followed the footprints to a hidden path next to the sea, away from the exorcist's view. There was a tunnel up ahead where the footprints were leading. I quickly darted towards it, eager to find whatever entrance the little malak had used.

There was nothing but a ladder, leading up to be met by a trapdoor. I smiled. This should get us in.

"So?" I heard Velvet ask, walking up behind me.

"Ah! A trapdoor! How clever~" Magilou smiled. "Too clever for the Abbey, apparently." She finished. She was right. Had the exorcists found this trapdoor? Or did they put it here for a reason?

Velvet stepped in front of me and ascended the ladder, raising her hand to peak through the door.

"All clear." She said, climbing up and out of our view. Magilou and Rokurou cut around me and followed her, so I quickly climbed up behind them.

We emerged in a storehouse, multiple crates scattered and stacked on top of each other. An odd, dirty, oily smell lingered in the air.

"A storehouse?" Velvet asked, looking around.

"That smell…" Magilou put a hand to her chin.

"Yes, I was wondering about that…" I commented. She nodded at my statement.

"...Aha! Flamestone!" She exclaimed.

"Flamestone?" Rokurou inquired.

"Also known as melchionite. A rare mineral only found in Northgand. Mix it with sulfur and you get explosives!" She informed, making a 'boom' motion with her hands as she spoke.

"Mix it with oil and you get fuel." She finished.

"Dangerous," I said. "But that isn't our concern right now."

"Right. We should find a shipwright and some equipment." Rokurou followed my thought. Velvet nodded, and we exited.

I was greeted with the sound of chatter, immediately drawing my attention. There were so many people. Adults, children, teens, all occupied with their daily lives. I smiled. It was pleasing to see so many calm people, bundled up in their coats. This was one of the places I was missing. Here's my chance to discover what life is like outside of those cells.

"I'm going to look around," I said, looking to Velvet for approval.

"This isn't a sightseeing trip." She sighed.

"...I know, but…"

"Just make sure to find me. I'll be buying us equipment and I need to know what you can work with," Rokurou established. "Oho, that shop looks promising." He smiled. "Good luck on the shipwright search!" And off he went.

"...You look for a shipwright too. Try to find a true sailor as well, if anyone is willing," Velvet instructed. She and Magilou walked away and I smiled, happy I get to tour the area after all. I turned to face the docks. There were grand ships, akin to ours, stationed and secured. If I'm to find a shipwright or a sailor, where else would be better than here? I should also try to find something to help with my bruised shoulder, though Rokurou is probably handling that.

I walked up to the ships, looking around for anyone I could ask. My thoughts were occupied by the small malak boy I had seen. I'd like to find him as well.

"When I grow up, I wanna be an exorcist!" I overheard a group of children.

"Me too! I wanna protect my mommy and daddy!"

"You don't get it. Exorcists are warriors who protect the entire world! You can't just defend your parents!" Warriors, who protect the world, huh? They certainly ruined mine. Closing my eyes, I calmed my thoughts and continued to search the area.

Hellawes was a peaceful town. Every rooftop was decorated with a sheet of glistening snow, the smoke billowing up from the chimneys adding a warm feeling to the area. I was happy to be here. Despite the cold, It was a wonderful place and I wanted to stay here for a while longer.

"...No one here." I thought out loud. Making my way away from the dock, I passed by Velvet and Magilou who were having a conversation with a group of sailors. I made eye contact with Velvet, giving her a nod. I hope they find some help. Interrupting their conversation seems pointless, so I decided to keep walking and try to find Rokurou.

"You there, young lady." I a voice speak heard from behind me. Was that addressed to me? Turning around, I was greeted by a very beautiful lady staring me down. There were two small malakhim boys next to her.

The malak boy we saw earlier was one of them.

The moment I caught sight of him, we eyed each other. There was still no emotion in his eyes, though the longer I looked I could see the curiosity in his gaze. It was very dim, but it was there.

"Is there something wrong with Number Two?" The woman asked.

"...Number...Two…?" I repeated her words. Was she addressing this malak as a number? That's not...right. In fact, that's cruel. How could she do that?

"Is there a problem?" She asked. I bit back my comments. Conflict with this woman wouldn't be good.

"No, I'm sorry." I turned my eyes away from the malak and looked to the woman. "What did you need?"

"Where did you get those armor pieces?" She asked. I froze. Judging by her clothing, this woman was an exorcist, one of high ranking at that. The armor pieces I was wearing was not exorcist armor, though they were found on an exorcist ship. They may have been older designs or spares that could be created easily. Either way, it made sense that someone of this woman's rank would recognize it. I should've been more careful.

"Someone sold them to me. Why do you ask?" I quickly came up with a lie.

"Is that so?" She narrowed her eyes. I could tell the gesture wasn't directed towards me, but more so at the false information.

"Who sold them to you?" I felt my palms clam up. I should've thought of a better excuse.

"Um…" I tried to keep my gaze steady. "I don't know his name."

"This person is male?" She asked. I slowly nodded. Maybe I should make an attempt to change the subject, if only a little?

"Is there something wrong with this armor?" I asked. The woman looked as if she was about to answer before she closed her mouth. She squinted at me as if trying to determine something.

"...Wait, are you a mala-"

"There you are!" Rokurou's voice rang through my ears, interrupting the woman. I glanced behind me to see him standing at the window of a shop, seemingly impatient. How convenient.

"I'm sorry, I need to go," I said. Quickly turning around, I jogged towards Rokurou before the lady could continue to speak.

"What were you doing with that exorcist?" Rokurou inquired.

"She asked me a question about my clothing," I answered, "The malak boy from before was with her."

"I saw. Anyways, now that you're here, take a look at what's available." He gestured to the man in the store. The man smiled at us for a moment, before going back to polishing a sword.

"There ya go. That's a good grip when polishing a shorter weapon like that," Rokurou smiled as he and the merchant began to make conversation. In the meantime, I look inside, trying to find a weapon that I might be able to use.

"Here we are. Thank you for teaching this polishing technique," The merchant said, handing a newly polished set of twin daggers to Rokurou.

"You're welcome. I'm happy to work with you." Rokurou replied, gratefully taking the daggers. He seemed like he was really enjoying himself.

"And what can I do for you?" The merchant turned to me.

"Yes...Can you give me some information on what's available?"

"Of course. Is there anything in particular you would like to know about?" He asked.

"Well…" I trailed off. What weapon should I use?

"I think a shorter, lighter weapon would be good for her," Rokurou remarked.

"Hm...Alright, let's see." The merchant got up and took some things from shelves and desks.

After laying out an array of weapons for us to see, he sat back down.

"Oh hey, these look good," Rokurou said as he stepped forward to observe them. He was mostly looking at the daggers. Actually, most of these were blades. I frowned. Blades were good, but I wanted to try to find something different, preferably something that my artes could work well with.

"Is there anything other than blades?" I questioned.

"Well...there is one thing, but not many people want it."

"Can I see it?"

"Of course. Here," he reached under the counter and pulled something out, before placing it in front of me.

"A boomerang. That seems like something you could use," Rokurou piped up. I smiled. The boomerang was made of metal and was constructed in a way that it was sharp on all edges except for the center, where the grip was. It could be used as a double-ended dagger for close combat, as well as thrown from a distance. The throwing part is certainly what I need.

"Yes, but you see, I haven't been able to sell it for a reason." The merchant said.

"And what might that be?" Rokurou asked, placing a hand to his chin.

"It's not the most reliable when it comes to combat. Usually the distance and angle a boomerang flies is determined by the way it's thrown," He began. "But this was created with such a shape and such a material that it's only half determined by those factors. The rest is determined by its environment, specifically the wind."

"But isn't that normal?" I asked.

"Yes, but this one is much more sensitive to wind. Even something a little more than a breeze can change its speed and angle completely. It's very hard to control." He concluded. I glanced at Rokurou out of the corner of my eye, a small smile playing at my lips. My eyes filled with excitement at the thought of using this weapon that was practically made for me. I was swaying on the balls of my feet, my giddy expression letting him know what I thought of the boomerang. Rokurou understood what I was conveying, smiling back with a small chuckle.

"We'll take it, then." He said. "How much do we owe you?"

"After you helped me polish those daggers, you can take them free of charge." He said. "As for the boomerang, I'll polish it up for you quickly and you can have it for 150 Gald." He finished, taking the boomerang into the back.

"150 Gald? That's cheap." Rokurou commented.

"Let's just say I want to get rid of it." The merchant laughed.

 _A/N: Hahahaa, finally, it's here. I updated! Wooo!_

 _I was considering leaving out the Katz, but I couldn't figure out how else to introduce them. Aria has an outfit and a weapon now, but the outfit probably isn't going to stay long because Teresa ;;. I'm not the most confident in this chapter, so if you have time to spare for critisism, I'd appreciate it greatly. The next chapter may take awile because I plan on doing an editing sweep of the entire story thus far, as well as I'm going to be in an area without wifi for a few days. Other than that, thank you for reading._


	6. Chapter 5 - Stray Malak

I held onto my boomerang, holding it up to the sun to get a better view of it. A smile grew on my face. It was perfect.

"Someone's happy," Rokurou commented as he handed money to the merchant.

"I think I suddenly understand why you're so attached to your sword."

"Heh, I guess weapons grow on you quickly." He said.

"Yes...Thank you for buying this for me." I placed the boomerang on my belt. Now that that's done, it would be good to look around the area more. Maybe I could get enough gald to buy a different armor set, one that doesn't belong to the Abbey.

"I'm going to look around a little more. Find me when the shipwright situation is settled," I instructed, giving Rokurou a quick wave before wandering back into the crowd. I'll be sure to look out for any more exorcists, this time. Especially that woman.

Walking through town, I took in more noises and scents. It was funny how I still haven't found a proper mirror of some sort, meaning I still didn't know what color my eyes were. I tried to get close to the window to look at my reflection, but the frost prevented me from seeing it. I could try asking...But that would be odd.

I shook my head briefly. There was no point in worrying about it. I'll see my reflection eventually, why should I be so bent on it? I decided on focusing on finding information. Maybe a map, or a book on...ships? The Abbey? Possibly an atlas?

I stopped, realizing I really didn't know what I should look for first.

...A library is a good start.

Poking a man's shoulder, I got directions to the library and made my way over. It wasn't too far from the main street so it would be easy to get back to the others.

Should I let them know where I'm going…? No, It's too late now. Ignoring my thoughts, I walked towards the entrance in anticipation of the indoors. Pushing open the door, I immediately felt warm air hit me, clashing with the cold from the outside. It was coming from a fireplace. Quickly closing the door, the relief from the cold made my mouth twitch upwards. Standing near the fire for a few moments, I warmed myself before setting to search. I strolled through the aisles, glancing at the book titles. There's got to be something that will come in handy in here.

"Hm...Let's start with an atlas." I found the aisle and pulled a world atlas off the shelf. Oddly enough, it was the only one on the shelf. Finding a table to sit down at, I open the atlas only to be greeted by a note stuck to the inside of the cover.

"This atlas is still under development. It is restricted from check out until further notice…?" I mumbled the note aloud. They haven't finished the atlas yet? Well, that explains why it was the only one on the shelf. Either way, the fact it was unfinished restricted from check out was frustrating. Though… I probably wouldn't be able to return it anyway.

I flipped past the note and briefly skimmed the pages, curious on how much the Atlas actually had in it. The pages turned, I noticed pictures and small maps fly past, before I came to completely blank pages, with only a few notes scrawled along them. I sighed, wondering why they would even put this on the shelf if it was unfinished. Turning back to the table of contents, I adjusted my posture in preparation for research. Propping my face on my elbow, I placed my finger on the page and followed it as I read the contents.

Slam.

"I was informed she was last seen entering here. Search and report back to me."

I jumped in my seat and placed a hand over my chest at the sudden noise of the door slamming open, along with the authoritative voice that followed it. Cold air chilled me I took a moment to register the situation before getting up and quietly peaking in between the books to see what was going on.

What I saw was definitely concerning. There was a high ranking exorcist in the doorway, who looked as if he was the male counterpart of the woman who confronted me about my armor earlier. He had a bandage over one of his eyes and a determined look on his face. He scanned the area as two lower ranked exorcists entered behind him.

"Please excuse me, Sir exorcist, may I ask the meaning of this?" The librarian approached the young man.

"I apologize for intruding. My sister told me that there appeared to be a stray malak wandering the streets," The exorcist answered, taking a few steps deeper into the library.

"...A...stray malak?" I whispered to myself, quickly ducking out of view.

That stray malak was probably…me.

Realization hit me like a ton of bricks. These exorcists were here for me and if I don't escape them, they're going to do whatever they did to Number Two...to me. The thought scared me dreadfully, so I quickly set to finding a way out. I scanned the area to see where the exorcists currently were, before stepping back. The two other exorcists were guarding the door, so that wasn't an option. The high ranked exorcist was making his way further in, his green eyes like an eagle's looking for its prey. I moved back again, slipping around the table and bending down as exorcist began to make their way into my area.

The window might work. There's a good chance they'll notice me exiting, but if I do this right, I could at least be out of the library and lose them somewhere outside. My other option is to hide somewhere and wait for them to leave, but that's very risky. Any hiding place in here is very obvious, like under a table or behind a curtain. Ok, window it is. If that doesn't work, last resort would be to try to get past the exorcists at the door. That would be tricky, but there's a chance.

My plan set in place, I shuffled a bit to locate all the windows in the area, trying to find which one would be easy to get to and climb out of. I was sweating profusely, opening and closing my hands as my fear mixed with my determination. I found myself unconsciously gripping my boomerang as I crouched lower, setting my sights on a window that was relatively close, with the exorcists in the area just finishing up there. I calmed my breaths to a quiet, steady pace and lightly stepped out from behind the table. Registering everyone's current positions once more, I hid behind a bookcase and tried to figure out a way to reach it without getting spotted.

I spotted the lead exorcist walking towards my area. Gritting my teeth, I moved on to another bookcase just as the exorcist inspecting it began to search somewhere else. Now I'm a bit closer to the window, but the exorcists were moving deeper into the library.

"There's an open atlas on the table," the exorcist commented. I held my breath. "It could have been here and fled when we came in." He concluded. Biting my lip, I scrunched my eyebrows in frustration as the exorcist exposed my actions.

He even called me "it" in the process.

"Do you know who left this here?" He asked the librarian.

"Yes, it was a girl with very long brown hair. She had on a long white coat along with white shorts and a shirt." The librarian described my appearance. I clenched my fists tighter, this was going to pose a problem.

"Matches my description. In that case, chances are it's still here." The exorcist spoke. I needed to leave now.

I peaked around the corner and moved under a table, the chairs blocking the exorcist's view of me. The man went back to the atlas and began to look around. He looked like he was calculating something, looking at different sections of the room before placing a hand to his chin. I took his distracted moment to move forward. I was really close to the window now. I just needed to get to it when I get another opening and I'm out. Placing myself down behind a bench, I peeked at the guards before returning my attention to the man. As I turned my head, though, something caught my eye.

There was a mirror sitting in front of me. I was sitting in front of me. I could see my own face.

I could see my eyes.

They were the deepest blue eyes I had ever seen. They were dark, but that fact made the light bounce off of them in just the right way. It reminded me of the night sky that peaked through the clouds when we escaped the prison. There was even a slight turquoise tint around my pupil, the two colors blending wonderfully together.

The eyes I had never seen looked like the twilight.

I tore my gaze from my eyes and looked at the rest of the mirror, hoping to see the rest of my body. Regrettably, I wasn't able to. I had spotted something moving behind me. The exorcist man was looking at my reflection in the mirror, slowly moving towards me, not making a sound. He had spotted my reflection, planning on jumping me while I was distracted. Fortunately for me, the mirror also helped me notice his approach.

The moment our reflections made eye contact, he realized his plan had been defaced and acted quickly. I did the same, abandoning my crouching position and sprinted to the window, sweating in anxiety. He was hot on my heels, shouting orders to the other two exorcists. I could barely hear anything over my own heartbeat. I could barely breathe. The only thing that kept my legs from freezing up completely was sheer will.

I'm not going to let him strip away my will, not after how much I've done.

I'm not letting him ruin what I've worked for.

And, I'm not letting him shatter my hopes of recovering my memories.

Crash. I didn't have any time to open the window, so I resorted to the second option. Placing my arms over my head, I jumped. The glass shattered as my body collided with it, the shards scraping my arms. I landed harshly on the ground, skidding along the ice coated ground.

"What was that?"

"Over there! The window…"

"Mommy! Can we help her?"

"She might be dangerous, sweetie..."

I heard people talking about me. I couldn't waste time, the exorcist has already emerged from the shattered window. I needed to lose them, right away.

"Stop where you are!" The exorcist commanded, giving chase as I ran through town. Velvet and the others were nowhere to be seen, which was a mix of good and bad. I couldn't get any help, but they wouldn't draw any attention to themselves. Maybe they went into a shop or something…

Ignoring my thoughts, I focused on outrunning the exorcist. Turning into an alley, I continued to run.

"Wait!" He called. I didn't wait. I took sporadic turns, faking a few, knocking over crates and barrels to try to slow him down. It was working.

"The Abbey is a safe place for malakhim!" He decided to attempt to convince me to slow down.

"We only want to help!" He continued. I refused to reply, knowing full well how the abbey treats malakhim. He called me "it," how can he think I'd believe that?

Unease began to plague my body as my breaths became sharper. I was getting tired. There was a wall approaching, which only added to my worry. I needed to find a way to get over that wall. Leaping onto a large crate, I jumped up towards a roof before the man could get to me. I grabbed on, hoisting myself up. The exorcist came up behind me. I cast an arte, propelling myself up and over the wall, blowing the exorcist back in the process. I smiled. He shouldn't be able to get this high. I was out of the woods.

Landing lightly on the ground, I let out heavy breaths of air. I had jumped over the wall surrounding Hellawes, ending up outside of town. No exorcists in sight.

"Hah...haah…" I breathed, my throat burning. Sprinting that fast for that long is only possible when you're running for your life.

Thump.

"Now, why don't you have a pactor?"

I whipped around at the sound of feet hitting the ground, seeing the exorcist standing up. I stumbled back.

"No more running," he drew his blade, "I will use force if necessary." I widened my eyes. How did he get over the wall? He shouldn't be here. This is the second time someone has pointed a blade at me.

The difference is, I have confidence. And a weapon.

I narrowed my eyes, challenging him. Drawing my boomerang, I prepared myself. Now I know how much wind can do. If things get harry, I still have plenty of running room.

"A malak...accepting a duel with an exorcist?" The man mumbled to himself. Apparently, this situation was a rarity.

"I am Oscar Dragonia, exorcist praetor. I'll give you one more chance to come with me willingly."

A praetor… That's what the high ranked exorcists are titled. I stood my ground, getting into a ready position. He observed my movements, copying them when he realized I wasn't backing down.

"...Very well."

 _A/N: Thank you for waiting patiently. This chapter is a little slow, but I feel like a slower chapter fit the situation more. Overall, I'm happy with this one._

 _Thank you all for supporting this story. Thank you to the wonderful guest who dropped an encouraging review, and thanks to Kaiser Dracon for helping me and encouraging me so much. Kaiser has their own Berseria fic, a very good one from my perspective, so go check it out!_

 _Also, fun fact: did you know that Aria means air in Italian?_


	7. Chapter 6 - A Separation

"...Very well." The praetor narrowed his eyes, enforcing his grip on his weapon. I pulled my hair out of my face, my boomerang in my left hand while my right was itching to blast this man into the wall behind him.

An orb of white light suddenly emerged from his body, settling in the air beside him. My foot twitched in a fight or flight response to the unknown light. Whatever this was, it was either preparation or an attack. The light grew, a single malak taking its place. It had armour, weapons, and was prepared to battle. The tension grew.

Until, suddenly, the battle burst into motion.

The malak steadied his weapon, charging towards me. I jumped up and over it, sloppily landing on the ground. Swiftly turning and facing the malak, I mimicked the blocking move Velvet tends to use and parried his weapon using my forearm. It worked, giving me a brief opening. I swiped at him with my boomerang. As he was disoriented, I managed to get great hit in. Just as I had underestimated myself, these attackers have done the same.

A pain suddenly sprouted in my arm as the effects of the earlier parry arrived, allowing me to realize that my arm piece had a chip on the inner side and was painfully digging into my forearm. Kicking up some snow, I used it to make a large cloud as to create a moment for me to kick the malak's feet out from under him and knock him unconscious.

A blade suddenly entered the area, landing a small cut on my ear. Quickly blowing away the lingering puff of snow, I faced Oscar, as he was quickly taking another swing towards me.

"That's some luck you have there." He made a snarky comment.

"You don't have the right to talk about luck," I glared. He wasn't born as a malak, he was born as a human. An exorcist, at that. What right does he have to tell me I have 'luck?'

He was quick, delivering stabs and swings faster then I could register them. It was easy to tell he was highly trained, he was quickly overpowering me.

I gritted my teeth. We were in a chain of him swiping and me blocking. It wasn't the most professional technique for someone of his rank, but he didn't seem to care all that much. It looked like his plan was to back me into the wall and apprehend me once I couldn't block anymore- at least, that's what I could gather from him slowly forcing me backwards.

I jumped, much higher than any normal person. It quickly got me out of the cycle I had been locked in, but Oscar had seen it coming.

As I propelled myself away from him, he threw his blade with precision. I managed to maneuver away from it, but only enough so that it caught my left shoulder. It threw me off balance and I tumbled to the ground in a puff of snow.

He had already caught up to me, grabbing his sword and nearly pouncing on me, but I rolled out of the way and got up just in time. This had quickly gone from an actual fight to me narrowly avoiding attacks, a stupid game of cat and mouse. Why did I think I could take him on?

...Because the amount of power I have is great compared to his, especially when his malak had been rendered useless.

Quickly falling back, I brought forth a gale of wind that greatly overrode any efforts he made to step towards me. He was flung back and hit the large stone wall behind him with a cry, slumping to the ground with snow sprinkling over his hair and onto his lap.

"It...couldn't have been that easy," I mumbled, watching as his steady breaths exited his mouth in the form of mist. He had to be faking, right? Or did he really not expect that? He looked like he had fallen unconscious, but he couldn't have been wiped out with a hit like that.

At least, I couldn't bring myself to believe it.

Quietly stepping back, I kept my eyes on the malak and the exorcist. The malak should have woken by now. Though… his metal helmet could've helped magnify the blow.

Ignoring my doubtful thoughts, I fled the scene, taking off my arm piece to keep it from digging into my arm. Placing my hand over the bleeding wound, I kept any blood from dripping onto the ground. I shook from not only the cold but the anticipation of another attack. But it never came.

Squinting through the falling snow, I saw a gate in the distance. A town.

It wouldn't be good to stay there long, but if I could just get ahold of some bandages and leave then it would definitely help. Maybe I could find Velvet in the process.

My skin was stinging as the cold bit the cut on my ear, my hair flailing wildly in the wind. My shoulder was bleeding, staining my white coat.

I was a mess, but I was alive. Pushing on the gate, I heaved it open enough for me to slip myself inside, closing it behind me. The village was small, but that might be for the better. Or for the worst. I didn't really have the time to care, though.

"Miss! Are you ok?" No sooner than I had entered, I was approached by a small girl.

"Oh.. hello. Don't worry about me." I gave her a smile. Her concerned look didn't fade, however, and she pulled out a handkerchief.

"Here…" she held it out for me to take. "You can keep it if you want. I have a lot."

"Thanks." I bent down and grabbed it, the soft feeling a comfort against my cold hands.

"I'm sorry for asking… but, can you help me?"

"Hm, with what?" I decided a small favour would be worth the handkerchief, considering I would be getting blood all over it.

"I asked some people to help me out earlier. There was this scary demon who went into a cave nearby, and I told them about him…" She looked down.

"I saw them go into the cave, but...but they haven't come out yet…" She sniffed. "I'm worried..."

"Oh… well, I can go check up on them, if you want?" I answered. I knew it wasn't a good idea, but I would try not to get into any fights. Chances are that it hasn't even been all that long and her imagination was just getting the better of her.

"Just a check… don't go too far in, it's dangerous!" She exclaimed.

"Of course," I smiled again. It was nice to see a child looking out for others.

"What do these people look like?"

"One was a man with these really long, colourful clothes that kinda reminded me of a bathrobe," She started. I felt my smile fall at the familiar description.

"And the other was this angry looking lady with pretty yellow eyes."

 _A/N: Alright, we're back on track. I managed to get this one out, sorry it's so short, haha. I'm sorry it took so long and I apologize in advance for any situations like this again. It tends to happen to me often. But, here it is! Thank you for reading!_


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